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The interaction between the human immune system and invading bacteria provides the foundation for Syntiron's innovative vaccine technology. Specific environmental conditions, such as low iron availability, greatly influence bacterial protein expression during an infection. Therefore, a vaccine to prevent infection should train the immune system to recognize the components that are expressed in that environment. Bacterial proteins such as siderophore receptors and transporters that are used to bring iron into the invading cell make ideal vaccine components because they are:
- required for survival
- important for infection
- similar among different strains of bacteria, which enables broad protection
- expressed on the surface of the bacteria, where the immune system can recognize them
The critical role of bacterial iron acquisition during infection led to the development of our core technology, which has proven effective at preventing infection in the following applications:
- Largescale field studies involving agricultural animals (E. coli, Salmonella spp., Pasteurella spp.)
- Laboratory studies involving animal models for human disease (Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus spp., Klebsiella pneumoniae, Campylobacter jejuni)
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The critical proteins forming the basis of efficacy for this core technology in humans have been identified and are currently being further characterized by Syntiron's research team utilizing advanced genomic and proteomic approaches. The biochemistry of the proteins and the interaction of each protein with the immune system will be used to verify the safety and optimize the efficacy of the vaccine formula. Syntiron's current vaccine development projects focus on three specific target areas associated with human bacterial infection:
- Nosocomial infection (hospital-acquired) infection (S. aureus)
- Foodborne illness (Salmonella spp., E. coli, Shigella spp.)
- Bioterrorism (Yersinia pestis, Bacillus anthracis, Burkholderia pseudomallei)
The historical success of this vaccine technology against a diverse set of bacterial pathogens suggests that applications extend far beyond the current target pathogens, and we anticipate developing vaccines against additional bacteria as the technology matures. Overall, Syntiron's innovative propriety technology, with proven protective results among diverse animal species, provides a tremendous competitive advantage for developing vaccine products for the prevention of human disease.
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